Netflix's "Veronica" Was NOT All It's Hyped Up to Be

"People are so scared of this movie, they are shutting it off."

"Only 4 out of every 100 people can make it through Veronica."

As a lover of all things Halloween and horror, when I saw these headlines, I MADE Clayton watch this with me! He wasn't very happy about it, but I had to see what all the hype was about. Plus, I had just finished Everything Sucks and I wanted to watch something on the other end of the spectrum! It takes a lot for a movie to really scare me, so when I heard these claims, I had high hopes. Veronica caught my attention because it’s a film by Paco Plaza, who directed [REC], which is one of the best movies I've every seen! It also is "loosely" based on a real story/police report, which adds a level of mystery. Let's just say that it let me down big time...

Same Old Exorcism Stuff

The movie is 100% in Spanish, which I will admit, gave it a scarier edge. It forces you to really pay attention, which would make any horror movie scarier in the age of smart phones and are diminishing attention spans. The movie kicks off with a horrific 9-11 call as police arrive on the scene of something they leave to the imagination. We then are introduced to Veronica and her family and friends.

Long story short, Veronica and her friends conduct a Ouija board experiment during a solar eclipse to contact some past loved ones. The horror ensues quickly. As you would suspect, Veronica writhes and contorts in pain and her friends watch as she creates the typical "exorcism" pose, we've seen time and time again. Something I've seen over and over and over...We need something new from Horror films!

The movie is set in 1991, but feels very 80's due to the score. So I was a little confused, but ultimately digged the Stranger Things vibes.

I just wasn't impressed by the overall story line. It seems overused to me and although the ending "twist" was interesting...it was also predictable. The creepiest part of the movie was the real crime scene photos they show during the ending credits. If you like scary movies, this one is a good one, but I just don't agree with the claims that it is so scary that everyone is turning it off. To be honest, The Ritual on Netflix, is MUCH scarier!

The Acting

What holds this movie together, is certainly the acting. Sandra Escacena (Veronica) is very good and creates a very interesting dynamic in the film. I also really enjoyed the child actors that played her siblings. Most of the time, younger actors can't make scary movies as convincing as they need to be. but these kids got it done! They all kept me intrigued in the movie.

Like I said, I am not super impressed with this film and I certainly didn't consider it in the scariest movies I've ever seen. Again, I totally recommend this and The Ritual if you are looking for a scary movie to watch. If you want to check out my other Netflix/Entertainment reviews click here! Also I would love to hear your Netflix recommendations!!